An illustration of the proposed Liverpool2 development at Seaforth An illustration of the proposed Liverpool2 development at Seaforth
The Port of Liverpool could increase trading links with countries across Asia by handling some of the biggest ships in the world.
Owner Peel Ports is building the £300m Liverpool2 terminal at Seaforth which will be able to handle post-Panamax vessels when it opens in 2015.
Liverpool2 is in response to fleets of bigger container ships being built linked to the widening of the Panama Canal trade route.
But an event organised by Mersey Maritime heard that a second phase of the project will mean the port could handle even larger ships than post-Panamax vessels.
Bernard Molloy, chairman of the Liverpool SuperPort committee, was speaking at November’s ‘Face-2-Face’ event and addressed an audience from across the sector, as well as a wider cross-section of members engaged in activity, including legal, manufacturing and sport.
He said: “From 2015, Liverpool will be able to handle some of the world’s largest ships which means we will be able to bring vessels in from China and across Asia.
“Mexico is also set to become a major shipper, particularly for the engineering sector, while the widening of the Panama Canal will also open up trade opportunities from further afield.”
Liverpool2 is part of the wider SuperPort project which includes the new £600m Mersey Gateway toll over the River Mersey in Halton and the International Trade Centre at Wirral Waters.
Mr Molloy, who is Unipart Global Industrial Logistics director and a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Logistics and Transport, said the logistics sector for the Liverpool City Region was currently worth £2.6bn, employing about 46,000 people and representing 7% of the city region’s economic value.
SuperPort will bring in more than £1bn worth of investment in new logistics infrastructure to Merseyside and aims to redress the balance of ships which currently enter Southern ports instead of travelling up to Liverpool.
Mr Molloy added: “We need to send out the right messages and make a big case for investment into the North West.
“SuperPort can create 20,000 new jobs but we must invest significantly into our infrastructure. We’re issuing a call to arms to businesses to support our work and SuperPort.”
Mersey Maritime chief executive Jim Teasdale welcomed Mr Molloy’s upbeat message regarding SuperPort and the opportunities it will bring for both Merseyside and the North West.
“It is great news that even larger vessels will be able to dock in Liverpool and shows the potentially massive beneficial effect both Liverpool2 and SuperPort will have on Merseyside and the wider North West region.
“Mersey Maritime is here to support all businesses, both large and small, to access the opportunities which will arise over the coming years and decades.
“We are focused on helping companies tap into the growing maritime sector which employs 28,000 people and is worth £2.6bn to the Merseyside economy every year.
“Mersey Maritime is the lead body for the Maritime, Logistics and Energy week, which is part of the 2014 International Festival for Business in Liverpool, and we look forward to meeting as many new businesses as we can.”
Also speaking at Face-2-Face was Ewen Macdonald, director with Sea Vision, which aims to engage young people aged 11 to 22 in the maritime sector and promote career options.
He was joined by Mark Wood from Go4SET, a programme run by charity EDT, which links school pupils between 12- and 14-years-old with companies and universities to offer 10-week programmes in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).